Let go of ego and you can save money and time on your films.
The Clint Eastwood anecdote.
I don't know the original source of the below anecdote, but it has always stuck with me.
It is not uncommon for Clint Eastwood films to come under budget and under schedule.
The best example of why his movies come in on-time and under budget? His reputation for doing scenes in a single take (two at most) precedes him.
Actors know the rep, and prepare accordingly, as Matt Damon attests:
I was playing a South African [in Invictus] and that’s a really hard accent to do. … It’s something that just required a lot of practice and I treated it like a job. I tested that one take theory on Day 1 of shooting.
We did the first take. It went pretty well. Clint says, ‘cut, print, check the gate,’ which means we’re gonna move on. And I said, ‘Hey boss, maybe you think we could get one more?’ He just turned and goes, ‘Why? Do you want to waste everybody’s time?’
Eastwood uses the same crew over and over, and they know each other’s rhythms. He’s a director who lets the members of his team do their job. For instance, Clint got asked about working with editors, and says:
“Well, we sit down in the morning and go over shots, talk about the sequence. Then I go play a round of golf, grab something to eat, come back in the late afternoon to see how it’s shaping up, look at the new footage that’s been cut. We talk some more and I give him some notes.”
Other directors might hover at their editor’s shoulder, but that’s not Clint Eastwood’s style. Which explains why his features are completed without muss or fuss. His seasoned professionals are allowed to do their work without endless second-guessing from their director.
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Share creative control.
I have seen this many times over, the need to prove oneself usually involves micro managing every department. This slows down the pace which causes: delays, overtime, then you are over budget and over schedule. The crew and cast get frustrated.
As a director, you choose the department heads you want to work with because you feel connected to their creative abilities and technical skills. So let those people do their jobs.
Your filming days do not HAVE to be 12 hours long. Sometimes they may need to be, but if you got what you needed, end the day early and give the crew & cast some rest.
If you scheduled 21 days of filming, if you are able to complete the film in 20 days - DO IT!
That single day could save you $10,000.
Editors are not technicians, the are storytellers.
Let them tell the story they see first and then you come in later. You may never get an interesting or unique point of view if you hover over an editor and don't let them use their creative skills.
You have nothing to prove to anyone. Let go of ego and let your team do their jobs.
I am curious to hear your thoughts on this? How do you go about running your film sets as a director or producer? Let me know in the comments.
